The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-06-16
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHARLESTON.

inland cities. Charleston, too, has ex-
perienced the weight of this policy. A
low years ago Charleston was the Mecca
OF the merchants of upper Carolina. But
the railroads have 80 arranged freiphts
that it is just as cheap and quicker to
get their goods directly from New York,
and their trade has flowed thither. AS
an instance of the unjust discrimination
against Charleston, L cite fertilizers-
her chief product. The rate from
Charleston to Spartanburg, about two
hundred miles, is $4 ton. From Rich
mond, Va, over twice as far, it is but
WHO ton-a discrimination against
this city of nearly 100 per cent. Is this
right? Should railroads of the State be
permitted to break down the business of
the principal city of the State2 Charles
ton is naturally the port of South Caro-
lima. She is entitled to the trade of the
State, and she would have it if she could
get fair showing, and the State should
see to it that she has that opportunity
This policy of the railroads has been
rulnous to the States prosperity. It has
stopped her small factories, saddled the
farmers with debt, and ruined our inter
nal commerce.
A REMEDY FOR THE WRONG.
LIS there no remedy for this wrong?
Have the people no rights to be regard
ed? This has beon the claim that the
railroads have set up. They assumed
that the stockholders we're the absolute
owners OF The roads, and any attempted
regulation by the Government was re-
PEELED as an unwarranted infringement
on private ri ght. During the weak and
trucking rule of the Radicals this bold
N mt
now absolutely exploded. It is now
held in every State in the nation tbat
the railroads are public highways, con-
structed for the benefit of the people.
That the management of these HIGHWAYS
is given to q corporation by the State, as
trustees of her sovereign power, n trust
not to be abused. The power should be
exercised with equity and Justice, as the
State would exercise it. The State could
not justly discriminate between its citi-
zens, and its agents should not be per-
mltted to do SO. The State could not
with equity build up one of it's cities at
the expense of other cities, and it's
agents should not be permitted to do so.
Ine State would not sacrifice the indus
tries and prosperity of her people to the
benefit Of foreign competitors, and the
railroads should not be allowed to do so.
She State, If she owned tho roads, would
not 90 these things even for gain, nor
should the railroads. If the stockhold
ers can mako profit legitimately, they
are entltied to it; if they cannot, they
have slmpl y made a bad investment and
must abide by it.
The right of the State to restrain and
legulate the railroads is now undisputed.
The question arises, how is this to be
done effectively? We have attempted to
do SO by railroad commission. / do
not know what they have done; do not
lmpugn their actions. But this we do
know, that this sitting and pernicious
policy of discrimination against home
enterprise has sprung up during their
control, and the condition of affairs is
infinitely worse now than before their
interference.
L have attempted to show that our
present need is low distributing rates
rates to our home producers as cheap in
proportion to distance as those granted
to their foreign competitors. This, L
peileye, can be easily, cheaply and
effectively secured.
A UNIFORM RATE FOR ALL SHIPPERS.
Under the Interstate law all through
rates must be reasonable and equitable
cannot interfere with and would not.
But this State can pass law providing
that whatever rate per mile the roads fix
for through freight, that same rate shall
be granted to our local shippers with the
cost of extra handling added. Of course
1t would be unjust to require them to
load and haul freight the first mile for
the same amount for which they merely
haul 1T the second mile. But when they
have been amply paid for loading, shift
ing and starting the car, there seems no
good reason why they should charge our
own shippers more for merely continu-
ing to haul it than they charge to for
e!gn shippers for exactly the same SER
vice.
liberal allowance should be mado
Tor this cost of handling. There are but
twenty classes of freight. The General
Assembly could appoint committee to
meet during vacation to take testimony
as to this cost. This charge should in
clude not only the cost of loading, but
the cost of extra shifting and starting.
1t should be regulated in Justice to the
railroads and to the people. The local
rate should be based on the actual cost
OF transportation, and not on the basis
of "whatever the traffic will bear" Un-
der the most liberal allowance it will
never be found that it costs over one
third as much to ship carload Of guano
twelve miles as it does to ship it 400
miles, and that, too, when it is loaded
by the shipper.
When once the through rate per mile
Is fixed by the railroads and published,
and when the cost for extra handling is
asccrtained and established by law, the
rights of the shipper become SO plain
that no expensive railroad commission is
necessary to protect them. He knows
the rate per mile, the distance he has
shipped and the extra cost for handling
the class Of freight offered. Whether no
has been overcharged, is q question of
simple fact with which the Courts can
deal, and penal statute is ample pro-
lection.
But whether the remedy l have sug-
gested is the best or not, the evil to be
romedied oxists. 1t is an oppressive in
cubus on the prosperity of South Caro-
lima. The interests OF South Carolina
are dear to every one of her sons, and
especially to the members of tho Press
H. 10 for, fbio roooCr that + l,o,,o